After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 103: Bewitched by Him

"What you’re seeing is only what he wants you to see, all to give you a false sense of intuition."

Alice’s words were like a splash of ice-cold water.

But surprisingly, it failed to jolt Zoe Jenson awake. She remained just as certain. "I think Third Master Sterling really cares about you. If you don’t believe me, tell him about Melody Lancaster forcing you onto that matchmaking show. I bet he’ll solve the problem instantly."

Alice fell silent.

’It’s not that I haven’t thought about telling Wyatt about this.’

’The reason I haven’t said anything is partly because I’m so angry I’m tempted to take Melody Lancaster down with me, and partly because of the way Wyatt defended her when I confronted him the other day.’

"Alice, you’re not telling Third Master Sterling... does that mean you’re actually going on that matchmaking show?" Zoe leaned in closer. "You need to think this through. You’ll be in for a world of hurt if you piss off Old Master Sterling."

Alice said calmly, "If I don’t go, Melody Lancaster will never back down."

’Besides, Melody Lancaster must be genuinely panicking now. She’s afraid, convinced I can actually steal Wyatt away from her...’

"So when does the show tape?"

Zoe knew she couldn’t change Alice’s mind, so her only option was to go to the studio and be there for her during the taping.

Alice said, "Tomorrow afternoon."

"And the address..."

Just then, the driver’s side door opened and someone slid into the seat. Alice and Zoe looked up at the same time. The man turned back and handed over a small cake he was carrying.

"Zoe, your cake."

"Thank you, Uncle~" Zoe chirped, happily taking it.

Holden Locke’s gaze shifted to Alice, and he gave her a nod. "Miss York."

The address was more formal than the last time they’d met. Alice smiled in return. "Professor Locke."

Zoe, beside her, explained, "I went to my grandma’s house today, and Uncle was there too. After dinner, he said he’d ride back to the university with me since it was on the way. I figured it would be closer to pick you up from here, so we came to your place first. My uncle knows I love sweets, so he went and bought me a cake while we were waiting for you. Let’s eat it together."

Alice had always known about Zoe’s sweet tooth. Before she could refuse, Holden Locke’s voice cut in. "That one’s for you. I bought a separate one for Miss York."

With that, Holden Locke produced another small cake.

Zoe smiled knowingly. "Uncle, you’re so considerate."

"One for you, and one for Miss York. Don’t you dare try to steal it." Holden Locke handed the cake to Alice.

Alice accepted it politely. "Thank you. That’s very thoughtful of you, Professor Locke."

Holden Locke said, "I wasn’t sure if you liked sweets, but if you do, I’ll make sure to buy two from now on."

Alice replied, "I don’t love them, but I have one every now and then."

A smile bloomed in Holden Locke’s eyes. "You shouldn’t eat too many sweets, so that’s a good habit to have. It’s just that my words have no effect on her. Maybe you can help me talk some sense into Zoe."

Zoe, who still had cream on the corner of her mouth: "..."

Alice couldn’t help but laugh. She took a napkin and wiped Zoe’s mouth. "You hear that? Fewer sweets."

Zoe pretended not to hear.

The car pulled up to the old Sterling residence.

After Alice got out, Zoe slid over and leaned out the window. "Once you have the address for the taping, be sure to send it to me."

Alice replied, "I already have it. I’ll send it to you now. I’m heading inside."

Zoe sat back and pulled out her phone. From the driver’s seat, Holden Locke’s voice asked, "Is Alice going to be on some kind of show?"

Without thinking, Zoe said, "Alice is going to be on a matchmaking show."

Holden Locke pulled his hand back from the steering wheel. He turned to look at Zoe, who was engrossed in her phone. "She’s going on a matchmaking show?"

Zoe looked up. Seeing the look in her uncle’s eyes, she remembered how she’d planned to set him up with Alice not too long ago...

’But now... my uncle doesn’t stand a chance.’

"Alice is just going on the show as a favor to a friend, not to actually find a date," Zoe said, still trying to figure out how to explain it all. She thought for a moment before adding, "Alice is committed to being single. She’s not interested in dating."

Silence filled the car for a moment.

Zoe felt so guilty she lost her appetite for the cake. Seeing her uncle remain silent, she tried to console him. "Actually, I have lots of other beautiful friends, Uncle. How about I introduce you to them some other time?"

Holden Locke let out a laugh, his eyes warm and clear. "You think I’m that desperate to get married?"

Zoe gave a hollow laugh. "No, it’s not that. I just feel bad that I wasn’t clear before. I feel like I got your hopes up for nothing."

"How could it have been for nothing?"

Holden Locke murmured something else, but Zoe didn’t quite catch it.

Just as she was about to ask, Holden Locke spoke first. "Where is Alice taping this show?"

Zoe hesitated. "Uncle, are you planning to go?"

"Just curious." He gave a faint, unreadable smile.

Zoe didn’t think much of it and told Holden Locke the address and time for Alice’s taping.

"Exhibition Center, Hall 9..." Holden Locke silently committed it to memory.

...

For the past two days, the first thing Alice did upon returning to the old residence was to ask the staff if Silas had come back yet.

He still hadn’t returned today.

She then went over to the ancestral hall to ask for news. Mindy Vaughn was no longer kneeling but was being kept locked up. Alice heard that for the past two days, her mother hadn’t been able to eat or sleep and looked completely haggard.

The staff were standing guard, so Alice couldn’t get in. She could only stand there for a moment before leaving.

On her way back this time, she ran into Owen Sterling.

It had been a few days since she’d last seen him. He had a dark stubble on his chin, and his hair had grown out a few inches. It was unkempt and unstyled, a stark contrast to his usual appearance.

"Owen?"

She had to look twice, almost hesitant to call out to him.

When Owen Sterling saw her, he managed to force a gentle smile. "Alice. I heard you’ve been staying here these last two days."

Alice walked closer, masking her surprise. "My mother is in some trouble, so I’ve been staying here lately."

Owen said, "This business with Second Aunt involves the Sterlings’ reputation. Grandfather put a lid on the news, so I only just found out."

Alice pursed her lips.

Ever since that incident came to light, a rift seemed to have formed between them. The way Owen looked at Alice was no longer as open and gentle as before; there was always a gloomy, heavy quality to it.

Alice couldn’t bring herself to voice her concern. Under Owen’s gaze, she swallowed the words. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

She started to walk past him, but Owen raised a hand to stop her. "Alice."

His voice was as gentle as ever.

Alice tilted her head up to look at him.

Owen said in a low voice, "After I learned what happened to Second Aunt, I felt something was off. I had my people look into it, and I found out... this was Third Uncle’s doing."

A jolt went through Alice, but she instinctively refused to believe Owen.

Owen could see her disbelief and continued, "Third Uncle is about to take power. Before that happens, he needs to clear out any obstacles. Grandfather dotes on and favors Second Uncle, so he has to eliminate Second Uncle’s entire family. First it was you, then Second Aunt, and next will be your younger brother and Second Uncle. Third Uncle is using you, controlling you. You can’t have any illusions about him. Don’t let him trick you into giving him your heart."